Thursday, January 08, 2009

ClusTer-you know what

Another sloppy morning, another disaster on the T. Only it's now become so routine that the media doesn't seem to care. (except for the good folks over at Universal Hub!)

You might be willing to forgive the Green Line for problems on the Boston College line surrounding the surprise overnight icing. You might, that is, unless you were trapped in the pathetic way in which it was handled around 8:15 a.m. Here's the scenario:

Arrive at the corner of Harvard and Comm. Ave. The inspector's hulking SUV is parked there but no one seems to be around. Buses with such exotic destinations as Wellington and the Silver Line double buses head in town. Empty.

Cross the street over to the Green Line platform as a train pulls up and opens its door. Proceed a short distance up Comm. Ave., just past the former Fordham Road stop. Sit for about 10 minutes before the operator comes on to tell you there is a power problem and the train will let you off at Packard's Corner or Babcock Street.

Sit another five minutes before you get to Packard's Corner and rush to catch a bus that actually is picking up passengers.

Arrive eventually at Kenmore Station and discover where all those other buses have gone. One is blocking Comm. Ave., trying to turn around. There are probably at least a dozen sardined into the busway. It takes about five minutes to inch into the station so you can actually get off the bus.

While waiting to get off, hear the dispatcher call for buses leaving Kenmore to head for Wellington because there are problems on the Orange Line. Maybe those buses I saw at Harvard Ave. were clairvoyant?

Go downstairs and find an inbound platform jammed with people. A car marked North Station sits empty on the wall track. The hordes descend on the empty cars that comes in from Comm. Ave. Hey, wasn't that the line that wasn't going past Babcock because of power problems?

The one egregious, absolutely unforgivable part of this episode is being allowed to board at Harvard Ave. while empty or virtually empty buses were allowed to head in town without stopping Where the heck was the inspector? Well, there is a Dunkin' Donuts near by...

The absence of "service representatives" to explain what was going on and properly assist passengers with alternatives like buses that accept passengers once more suggests that the T is totally clueless when it comes to its paying customers.